Fire extinguisher



sept. 19, 1939;' R. E. FRASI-:UR r 2,173,392

FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Jan. 4, 1937 Patented Sept. 19, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEQ Claims.

This invention relates to fire extinguishers.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a re extinguisher of the grenade type, which includes means for supporting a 5. .frangible grenade, and for automatically breaking the same when the temperature of the atmosphere surrounding the grenade and its support reaches a degree of danger, whereby the contents of the grenade will be discharged to l0. extinguish the re by which the increased heat is produced.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a support for a frangible grenade by which it may be supported in a suitable place 15. to be influenced by the change in atmospheric pressure due to a fire, and from which place the contents of the grenade may be discharged for the purpose of extinguishing the re, the said structure including automatic breaking means ;v carried by the support and held by a fusible member to be thereafter released' and to swing against the grenade with sufficient force to break it.

The present invention further contemplates the construction of a grenade within which the v lire extinguishing fluid will be maintained under pressure thus insuring that when released to the atmosphere it will be projected forcefully from the grenade.

'Ihe invention is illustrated by way of example 30.J in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing one form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1, indicating a modification 3510i the supporting member in dotted lines, and

also indicating the striking position of the breaking arm in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation showing a form of the invention embodying the use of twobreaker 40 arms.

Fig. 4 is a View in transverse section. showing the spring mounting of the structure as seen on the line 4 4 of Fig. l..

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation with the parts 4.5v broken away showing a sealed grenade and indicating by dotted lines the condition of the grenade prior to sealing.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, IWB indicates a frangible grenade which is filled 50v with a re extenguishing liquid. These grenades are at the present'time used and are supported in a manner to make them readily accessible so that they may be instantly removed from their support and' thrown into a lire to be broken so 55 thatv the liquid contents of the grenade may act to extinguish the fire, or they may be supported from a ceiling or wall in a manner to be influenced by the surrounding temperature so that they would be automatically broken to discharge their contents on to the re. The grenades are 5 usually made of glass and are bulb-shaped, having a rather large spherical portion and a reduced neck which may be used conveniently as a handle when desired.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 10` and 2 of the drawing, a frame is provided for the grenade comprising a lower ring ii and an upper ring I2. The lower ring is oi a diameter to conveniently receive the neck i3 of the grenade and the upper ring is of a larger diameter to re- 15 ceive the spherical portion ill. The two rings are connected by vertical frame members l5. These frame members extend upwardly to provide ears I6 which receive the hooked ends il of a bail I8. The bail may be supported from 20 an overhead supporting member E9 of any suitable design or shape. In some instances it may be desirable to mount the frame structure on the side Wall, and in that case a fastening bracket'20 is attached to one of the rings as in- 25l dicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. A hinged bracket 2l is secured to the ring l i and is formed with a pair of spaced ears 22 which receive a pivot pin 23 formed as a portion of a striker arm 24. This arm is substantially U-shaped and is preferably formed of stiff wire. The body of the arm is formed as a continuation of the hinged portion 23 and terminates in an eye 25 which embraces the free end of the hinged portion 23. The loop of the arm is engaged by a fusible link 25 which comprises a portion 2l engaging the arm 24 and a portion 23 engaging the ring l2. A fusible material, such as solder, indicated at 29, is applied between over-lapping portions of the members 2l and 28. This mate- 40 rial will melt at a predetermined temperature and will release link member El so that the striker arm 24 is free to swing downwardly and around its pivot portion 23 to strike the neck i3 of the grenade. In order that the striker 4,5 arm will deliver a blow of sufficient magnitude to break the wall of the grenade a spring 39 is provided. This spring is shown in Figs. i, 2, and 4, as being coiled around the pivot pin 23 and disposed between the ears 22. One end of the spring, as indicated at 3i, extends over a supporting ear 22 and the other end of the spring, as indicated at 32, is looped around a leg of the striker arm` 24 so that when the fusible link 26 releases the arm the spring will swing 55 it down and against the grenade in a forcible manner.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3 a pair of striker arms 33 and 3d are provided. These arms are formed with eyes 35 at their lower end which receive pivot pin 35. The pivot pins 33 extend through ears 31 of a frame ring 38. The striker arms 33 and 3dr are preferably arcuate in shape and extend upwardly and over the top of the grenade l5. The upper ends of these arms carry breaking lugs 39. These lugs are mounted upon the free ends of the arms in a position so that when the arms swing downwardly and around the frame they will strike the neck of the grenade and break it. The free ends of the arms 33 and 34 are spaced a distance from each other and have disposed between them an expansion spring CIB. This spring is held in a compressed position between the arms by a fusible link lil. The link comprises separate elements l2 and 43 which are hooked to the ends of the arms 33 and 311 and which overlap intermediate their ends to be held by a fusible material, such as solder indicated at lid. The ring 33 may carry vertical members 45 by which a lower ring i6 is supported to receive the neck of the grenade.

In operation of the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, the grenade is mounted within the frame structure comprising the rings II and I2 and uprights I5. As previously explained the frame may be supported by the bail I8 or a mounting bracket 2E). In either event the frame structure with its grenade is intended to be disposed in a strategic position for extinguishing an accidental conflagration. The strikerarm 2li is held in its latched position by the fusible link 26 and will release when the fusible portion 29 has been subjected to a predetermined degree of heat. This will permit the strikerarm to swing downwardly in the direction of the arrow a as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawing as urged by the spring 33. The result will be that the arm will forcibly strike the frangible wall of the grenade breaking the same and permitting the liquid contents thereof to be discharged.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3

the structure is assembled as there indicated with the arms 33 and 36 held by the fusible link fi I When these arms are released they will swing oppositely and will engage opposite sides of the neck I3 of the grenade to effectively break the neck and insure free discharge of the fire extinguishing liquid therefrom.

While the grenade indicated at IE! in the drawing may be formed in the usual manner of glass and sealed so that the fluid therein will be entrapped under atmospheric pressure it is desirable to seal the fluid under a positive pressure so that it will be ejected forcefully from the grenade when the grenade is broken. In order to do this I provide a novel method of sealing a grenade and constructing the same. This is particularly shown in Figure 5 of the drawing where the sealed grenade is indicated in solid lines and the original condition of the unsealed grenade is indicated in dotted lines. The body I4 of the neck I3 is lled with iire extinguishing fluid while the neck is straight as indicated by dotted lines at 5B in Figure 5. A cork 5I is then placed in the neck and forced downwardly compressing the air which is entrapped above the liquid, the cork being of a tight t so that it will hold in position. The top of the cork may be treated to form a layer 52 of non-inflammable material so that the cork will not be burned when the neck is sealed. The neck is then sealed off over the end of the cork as indicated at 53. This holds the cork in place. A volume of entrapped air as indicated at 54 will be compressed between the body of liquid and the cork. This will insure that when the neck is broken there will be a sudden scattering of the liquid to more effectively put out the re. Attention is also directed to the fact that when the blow which is struck by the member 24 or the members 33 and 34 is delivered in the general area of the neck occupied by the cork the force will be transmitted so that usually the entire neck will be sheared off, thus instantly applying the entire contents to the fire.

Attention is directed to the fact that due to the secure manner in which the grenade is supported within the frame structures by both forms of device, the grenade will be held firmly so that when it is struck by the striker arms the breaking operation will be certain.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes might be made in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts by those skilled in the art, Without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A fire extinguisher comprising a frame to receive a frangible grenade formed with a spherical portion and a downwardly extending reduced neck, stopper means in said neck, said frame comprising a ring to embrace the spherical portion of the grenade substantially at its equator,

and a second ring suspended therefrom embrac-v ing the neck of the grenade whereby the frame will firmly hold the grenade, supporting means attached to the frame, a striker arm pivotally mounted upon the lower frame ring, a fusible link engaging the free end of the striker arm and the upper frame ring, vand means for forcibly swinging the striker arm against the neck of the grenade in the vicinity of the cork when released from the fusible link so as to shear said neck.

2. A fire extinguisher comprising a frame to receive a frangible grenade formed with a spherical portion and aV downwardly extending reduced neck, a cork disposed in the neck of said grenade, said frame comprising a ring to embrace the spherical portion of the grenade substantially at its equator, and a second ring suspended therefrom embracing the neck of the grenade ywhereby the frame will firmly hold the grenade, a bail mounted upon the upper edges of the frame and substantially conforming to the upper circumferences of said grenade, supporting means attached to the frame, a striker arm pivotally mounted upon the lower frame ring, a fusible link engaging the free end of the striker arm, the other end of said link being mounted to the upper frame ring, and spring means associated with said striker arm whereby said striker arm will be moved downwardly when released from the fusible link and strike the grenade in the vicinity of the cork and shear the neck of said grenade.

3. A fire extinguisher comprising a frame having a pair of vertical arms, a pair of rings mounted between said arms, a frangible grenade formed with a spherical portion and a downwardly reduced neck, a cork fitting within said reduced neck, said grenade being adapted to be mounted between said vertical arms and to be held in position by said rings, the upper of said rings embracing the spherical portion of the grenade substantially at its equator, the second of said rings embracing the neck of the grenade whereby the grenade will be firmly held in position within the frame, a bail upon the upper ends of said vertical arms and conforming substantially to the upper circumference of the grenade, a striker' arm pivotally mounted upon the lower frame ring, a fusible link engaging the free end of the striker arm and the upper frame ring, and means for forcibly swinging the striker arm against the neck of the grenade in the vicinity of the cork when released from the fusible link whereby the reduced neck of the grenade will tend to be substantially sheared.

4. A re extinguisher comprising a frame to receive a frangible grenade formed with a spherical portion and a downwardly extending reduced neck, a cork fitting within said reduced neck, said frame comprising a pair of vertical arms, a ring mounted between said arms to embrace the spherical portion of the grenade substantially at its equator and a second ring mounted between the lower end of said vertical arms to embrace the neck of the grenade, a bail mounted upon the upper ends of said vertical arms and conforming substantially to the upper surface of said grenade whereby the frame will firmly hold the grenade, supporting means attached to the frame, a striker arm pivotally mounted upon the lower frame ring, a fusible link engaging the free end of the striker arm and the upper frame ring, and means for forcibly swinging the striker arm against the neck of the grenade in the vicinity of the cork when released fro-m the fusible link whereby the neck portion of the said frangible grenade will be substantially sheared.

5. A fire extinguisher comprising a frame to receive a frangible grenade formed with a spherical portion and a downwardly extending reduced neck, a cork element adapted to fit Within said reduced neck, said frame comprising a pair of Vertical arms, a ring to embrace the spherical portion of the grenade substantially at its equator and a second ring suspended therefrom embracing the neck of the grenade whereby the frame will firmly hold the'grenade, supporting means attached to said frame, a striker arm pivotally mounted upon the lower frame ring, a fusible link engaging the free end of the striker arm and the upper frame ring, and means for forcibly swinging the striker arm against the neck of the grenade in the vicinity of the cork when released from the link whereby the reduced neck of the grenade will be substantially sheared.

ROSCOE E. FRASEUR. 

